The present invention generally relates to sports training equipment and techniques. More particularly, this invention relates to an apparatus, a glove and training methods adapted to assist an individual in improving his or her basketball shooting skills and accuracy at all playing levels.
Various basketball training equipment and methods have been proposed. A notable example is an apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,881,161 to Heflin, Sr., whose contents are incorporated herein by reference. Heflin, Sr., discloses a basketball training apparatus comprising a base intended to be placed beneath a basketball rim, arms extending in radial directions from the base, shooting markers spaced along the length of each arm, and one or more vision markers adapted to be attached to the basketball rim and radially aligned with the arms. With this arrangement, a user, when standing on one of the shooting markers and facing the basketball rim, is provided with visual shooting assistance as a result of the arm being radially aligned with one of the vision markers located on a region of the basketball rim nearest the user, and therefore readily visible to the user. The apparatus is capable of improving shooting skills and accuracy on all playing levels, e.g., from elementary to professional.
Various other types of basketball training equipment and accessories have also been proposed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,932,723 to Klinger et al., U.S. Pat. No. Des. 368,942 to Mahoney, and U.S. Published Patent Application No. 2004/0043841 to Williams disclose basketball shooting aids that comprise a rigid barrier or wall placed above and along a basketball rim for the purpose of deflecting undesirable basketball shots. U.S. Pat. No. 4,206,915 to Woodcock is similar, but discloses the use of multiple targets rather than a single barrier or wall. Proposed accessories have included gloves intended to be worn during training to promote a shooter's grip, finger positioning, etc. Typically such gloves are equipped with sleeves for each finger and the thumb, and often cover the palm of the shooting hand.